The European Commission explained the 12% increase in visa fees was due to inflation, but stated that the fees remain "relatively low" compared to visas for many other countries, such as the UK (starting from 134 euros) or the US (starting from 185 euros). An Australian visa costs 117 euros (3.2 million VND).
The Schengen Area comprises 29 members, including European Union (EU) countries with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus. Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland are not EU members but are also signatories to the Schengen Convention. Bulgaria and Romania partially joined the Schengen Area on March 31, allowing travel by air and sea without visas or passports. However, land travel restrictions remain in place.
Visitors with a Schengen visa can travel freely between countries within the bloc for tourism or visiting relatives, but are not permitted to work. With a Schengen visa, visitors can enter and stay for a maximum of 90 days within a 6-month period.
The European Commission typically reviews visa fees every three years and is allowed to increase them based on "objective criteria" such as inflation rates and the average salaries of civil servants in member states. The proposed visa fee increase was made on February 2nd and received widespread support from member states. The visa renewal fee, however, remains unchanged at 30 euros (approximately 820,000 VND).
VN (according to VnExpress)Source
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